Fencing Bear at Prayer

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle which is set up not by man but by the Lord.  For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.  Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.  They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary; for when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was instructed by God, saying, "See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."  But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.  For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have bee...

The Lord spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died; and the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.  But thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  He shall put on the holy linen coat, and shall have the linen breeches on his body, be girded with the linen girdle, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments.  He shall bathe his body in water, and then put them on.  And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. "And Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.  Then he shall take the two goats, ...

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  And I said: "Woe is me!  For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  And he touched my mouth, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven."  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom sh...

Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him.  And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord.  And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book; and all the people joined in the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah, the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of...

After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door!  And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this."  At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne!  And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.  Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.  From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second liv...

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confes...

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed.  Then he wrote down the dream, and told the sum of the matter.  Daniel said... As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued  and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.... I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion  and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, whi...

After [Abram's] return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High.  And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand! And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.  And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself."  But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal-thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.'  I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me; let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their s...

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.  Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.  And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee;" as he says also in another place, " Thou are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear.  Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the...

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?"  They said to him, "The son of David."  He said to them, "How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ' The Lord said to my Lord , Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet'? If David thus calls him Lord, how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did any one dare to ask him any more questions. --Matthew 22:41-46, RSV

The LORD says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool." The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." The LORD is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will life up his head. --Psalm 110, RSV

2011  Monday, February 14, 8:45-10:45am : Noodled around with Saiani's edition of John of Garland's Epithalamium beate Marie virginis , wondering whether it is worth trying to revise the translation that I did of the text back in graduate school for publication. Wednesday, February 16, 8:40-10:40am : Worked on translation of the first 16 lines of John's Prologue. Monday, February 21 , 8:50-11:03 am : Worked on translation of John's Prologue, ll. 16-44. Wednesday, February 23, 8:20-11:04am : Checked on a translation of certain lines in bk 8 for a colleague; read around a bit in Evelyn Wilson's essays on John; translated John's Prologue, ll. 45-50. Friday, February 25, 10:00am-12:38pm : Finished translation of John's Prologue, ll. 51-85.  Posted on my other blog . Monday, February 28, 8:30-10:30am : Worked on translation of John, book I, Summa, ll. 1-32. Wednesday, March 2, 8:15-10:45am : Worked on translation of John, book I, Summa, ll. 33-64; No...

What various hindrances we meet In coming to a mercy-seat! Yet who that knows the worth of pray'r But wishes to be often there? Pray'r makes the dark'ned cloud withdraw, Pray'r climbs the ladder Jacob saw, Gives exercise to faith and love, Brings ev'ry blessing from above. Restraining pray'r, we cease to fight; Pray'r makes the Christian's armour bright; And Satan trembles, when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. While Moses stood with arms spread wide, Success was found on Israel's side; But when thro' weariness they fail'd, That moment Amalek prevail'd. Have you no words? Ah, think again! Words flow apace when you complain And fill your fellow-creature's ear With the sad tale of all your care. Were half the breath thus vainly spent To heav'n in supplication sent, Your cheerful song would oft'ner be: 'Hear what the Lord has done for me!' --William Cow...

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on. Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene: one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou Shouldst lead me on; I loved to choose and see my path; but now Lead thou me on. I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will: remember not past years. So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till The night is gone, And with the morn those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. --John Henry Newman (1801-1890), in Prayers , ed. Peter Washington (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), p. 213.

My prayers must meet a brazen heaven And fail or scatter all away. Unclean and seeming unforgiven My prayers I scarcely call to pray. I cannot buoy my heart above; Above it cannot entrance win. I reckon precedents of love, But feel the long success of sin. My heaven is brass and iron my earth: Yea iron is mingled with my clay, So harden'd is it in this dearth Which praying fails to do away. Nor tears nor tears this clay uncouth Could mould, if any tears there were. A warfare of my lips in truth, Battling with God, is now my prayer. --Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), in Prayers , ed. Peter Washington (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), p. 142.

One goodness ruleth by its single will All things that are, and have been, and shall be, Itself abiding, knowing naught of change. This is true health, this is the blessed life. Here, O ye prisoners of empty hope, Minds kept in bonds by pleasure, haste ye to return. Here, here your rest, sure rest for all your hurt, Eternal harbour for your quiet anchorage, Shelter and refuge for unhappy men That's always open. This is the Father, and the Son, and the kind Holy Ghost, One King omnipotent, one called the Trinity. One love, O thou that readest, that shall be Thine to eternity, That sent this mighty gift of books That reading, thou mightst recognize thy Maker, King, Maker of all things, Father, Redeemer, The Saviour Christ, to whom be glory. --Alcuin of York (735-804), trans. Helen Waddell, in Prayers , ed. Peter Washington (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), p. 167.

God strengthen me to bear myself; That heaviest weight of all to bear, Inalienable weight of care... If I could once lay down myself, And start self-purged upon the race That all must run! Death runs apace. If I could set aside myself, And start with lightened heart upon The road by all men overgone! God harden me against myself, This coward with pathetic voice Who craves for ease, and rest and joys: Myself, arch-traitor to myself, My hollowest friend, my deadliest foe My clog whatever road I go. Yet One there is can curb myself, Can roll the strangling load from me, Break off the yoke and set me free. --Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), in Prayers , ed. Peter Washington (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), p. 66.

View from the south

"Then all the men that knew that their wives sacrificed to other gods: and all the women of whom there stood by a great multitude, and all the people of them that dwelt in the land of Egypt in Phatures, answered Jeremias, saying: 'As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken to thee: But we will certainly do every word that shall proceed out of our own mouth, to sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we and our fathers have done, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem: and we were filled with bread, and it was well with us, and we saw no evil.  But since we left off to offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out frank offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and by famine.  And if we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her: did we make cakes to worship her, to pour ...

I need to stop reading so much. First it was yoga . Then it was vegetarianism . Then it was calories . Then it was liberalism . Now, thanks to Margaret Barker's Temple Theology ,* it is the origins of Christianity itself. I'm not sure I can take yet another radical restructuring of my reality.    What could possibly be left? *Which I came across quite innocently yesterday while reading one of the books in my field that I have agreed to review.  Talk about unexpected.  I am starting to understand how St. Paul felt.